Apple Now Offering Developers Access to Xcode Cloud

Apple today began notifying developers that they're able to use the new Xcode Cloud service that was first introduced at the Worldwide Developers Conference in June.

xcode cloud
"We're pleased to let you know your account has been enabled for Xcode Cloud beta," reads the email sent out to developers. "You can now take advantage of continuous integration and delivery service built into Xcode 13."


Xcode Cloud is a cloud-based Xcode service that allows developers to build, test, and deliver high-quality apps in the cloud rather than directly on a Mac.

Xcode Cloud is a new continuous integration and delivery cloud service designed specifically for Apple developers. Built into Xcode 13, Xcode Cloud offers a fast and simple way for developers and teams of all sizes to build, test, and deliver high-quality apps even more efficiently. Xcode Cloud can automatically build apps in the cloud to free up developers' Macs for other tasks. Parallel testing in the cloud means developers can test on a simulated version of every current Apple device, then easily deploy a build of the app for internal testing, or deliver to external beta testers through TestFlight for instant feedback.

Apple has been allowing developers to sign up for the Xcode Cloud waitlist prior to now, and there are multiple reports on Twitter from developers who have been granted beta access. All developers who are Account Holders in the Apple Developer Program as of June 7, 2021 are eligible to sign up for Xcode Cloud, though a Mac with the latest beta version of Xcode 13 is required.

Popular Stories

iphone 16 display

iPhone 17's Scratch Resistant Anti-Reflective Display Coating Canceled

Monday April 28, 2025 12:48 pm PDT by
Apple may have canceled the super scratch resistant anti-reflective display coating that it planned to use for the iPhone 17 Pro models, according to a source with reliable information that spoke to MacRumors. Last spring, Weibo leaker Instant Digital suggested Apple was working on a new anti-reflective display layer that was more scratch resistant than the Ceramic Shield. We haven't heard...
apple watch ultra yellow

What's Next for the Apple Watch Ultra 3 and Apple Watch SE 3

Friday April 25, 2025 2:44 pm PDT by
This week marks the 10th anniversary of the Apple Watch, which launched on April 24, 2015. Yesterday, we recapped features rumored for the Apple Watch Series 11, but since 2015, the Apple Watch has also branched out into the Apple Watch Ultra and the Apple Watch SE, so we thought we'd take a look at what's next for those product lines, too. 2025 Apple Watch Ultra 3 Apple didn't update the...
iPhone 17 Air Pastel Feature

iPhone 17 Reaches Key Milestone Ahead of Mass Production

Monday April 28, 2025 8:44 am PDT by
Apple has completed Engineering Validation Testing (EVT) for at least one iPhone 17 model, according to a paywalled preview of an upcoming DigiTimes report. iPhone 17 Air mockup based on rumored design The EVT stage involves Apple testing iPhone 17 prototypes to ensure the hardware works as expected. There are still DVT (Design Validation Test) and PVT (Production Validation Test) stages to...
Beyond iPhone 13 Better Blue

20th Anniversary iPhone Likely to Be Made in China Due to 'Extraordinarily Complex' Design

Monday April 28, 2025 4:29 am PDT by
Apple will likely manufacture its 20th anniversary iPhone models in China, despite broader efforts to shift production to India, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In 2027, Apple is planning a "major shake-up" for the iPhone lineup to mark two decades since the original model launched. Gurman's previous reporting indicates the company will introduce a foldable iPhone alongside a "bold"...
iPhone 17 Air Pastel Feature

iPhone 17 Air Launching Later This Year With These 16 New Features

Thursday April 24, 2025 8:24 am PDT by
While the so-called "iPhone 17 Air" is not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the ultra-thin device. Overall, the iPhone 17 Air sounds like a mixed bag. While the device is expected to have an impressively thin and light design, rumors indicate it will have some compromises compared to iPhone 17 Pro models, including only a single rear camera, a...
iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 13 New Features

Wednesday April 23, 2025 8:31 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of April 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...
iphone 17 air iphone 16 pro

iPhone 17 Air USB-C Port May Have This Unusual Design Quirk

Wednesday April 30, 2025 3:59 am PDT by
Apple is preparing to launch a dramatically thinner iPhone this September, and if recent leaks are anything to go by, the so-called iPhone 17 Air could boast one of the most radical design shifts in recent years. iPhone 17 Air dummy model alongside iPhone 16 Pro (credit: AppleTrack) At just 5.5mm thick (excluding a slightly raised camera bump), the 6.6-inch iPhone 17 Air is expected to become ...

Top Rated Comments

jonblatho Avatar
50 months ago

What is a CI/CD! How is it different than syncing your code ”projects” over iCloud? I’ve never used Xcode before so forgive my ignorance.
Quite a bit different. CI/CD is a pretty involved concept, but here’s a scenario that should give you a decent idea of how it’s useful in development:
[LIST=1]
* For example, say I and a partner have created a calculator app.
* One of our app’s functions is to sum a series of integers. While writing the app, my partner and I have written a series of corresponding tests to make sure that our code works as expected.
* In our test code, we would run that function with different combinations of numbers to ensure that we get the expected result each time — for example, if we run it with the numbers 3, 6, and 9, we know that the sum of the numbers is 18, so the function should return 18. And if we run it again with the numbers in a different order, we should of course still get 18 from the function. Rinse and repeat with numerous different combinations of numbers. (This sounds like tedious and mundane stuff, and in most cases it is, but it’s best to thoroughly check that even the simplest and most mundane code works exactly as you expect.)
* My partner made a change to our number-summing function and requests to merge his changes into the app.
* Here’s the CI (continuous integration) part: When the request is submitted, it automatically builds the project and runs our tests using the new code to make sure that we are still getting the results we expect out of the number-summing function, and any other functions that use it. Xcode Cloud allows for running the tests on numerous devices and device configurations.
* Say the change makes some tests fail when numbers are provided in a different order. If tests start failing as a result of the change, the failing tests will be indicated so that the problem can be isolated and resolved, or the changes can simply be ignored until a fix is found (if ever).
* Once our tests are passing (or, not recommended, even if they aren’t), here’s the CD (continuous delivery) part: Using Xcode Cloud we can “deliver” it straight to TestFlight for beta testing on real-world devices and eventually to the App Store.

Basically, it helps developers by automatically running tests in different configurations (to see if that’s the cause of failures) at important parts of the development process, which in turn encourages them to test their code, test all of their code, test it well, and test it again and again, which leads to better apps. Comprehensive and well-written tests, and running them repeatedly, can catch a lot of bugs before one finds out the hard way through, say, a bad App Store review.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
CarlJ Avatar
50 months ago

Basically, it helps developers by automatically running tests in different configurations (to see if that’s the cause of failures) at important parts of the development process, which in turn encourages them to test their code, test all of their code, test it well, and test it again and again, which leads to better apps. Comprehensive and well-written tests, and running them repeatedly, can catch a lot of bugs before one finds out the hard way through, say, a bad App Store review.
Well stated (and nice example). An interesting thought - since the CI bit is happening in Apple-controlled space, they... could potentially set things up to test against (virtual models of) as yet unreleased hardware, and unreleased bits of the OS (that support new hardware features), and end up in a situation where developers have already unknowingly rid their software of many problems associated with new hardware, so the apps are ready to go as soon as the new devices are announced. Still thinking it through, but it seems like there is some interesting potential there.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
GenesisST Avatar
50 months ago
"... designed expressly for Apple developers...".

Well, no ****! It's fricking XCode...
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Moka Akashiya Avatar
50 months ago

but someone on these forums told me there was no competition to the App Store and therefore Apple stopped improving the developer experience.
Competition to the App Store, what does it mean?
Im my opinion, improved experience for developers would be possibility to run macOS on VM's legally on non-mac hosts, so more CI tools would be free to use. Xcode Cloud probably will be another subscription-based tool to squeeze money from devs and maybe even without real world service integrations (github/bitbucket/etc).
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
smirking Avatar
50 months ago

Next Lawsuit:
I’ve spent all this time learning XCode, but I can’t use it to develop Windows apps. Apple needs to allow me to compile code to whatever I want to, even to Android devices!
I know you’re just being facetious, but you actually can compile Android code on a Mac. Android Studio runs just as badly no matter what platform you use.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
farewelwilliams Avatar
50 months ago
but someone on these forums told me there was no competition to the App Store and therefore Apple stopped improving the developer experience.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)